I’ll go into drones: The RuNet is flooded with drone schools

Having received an email offer to learn how to “pilot a drone” for free for 1 month, I decided it was a joke. But it turned out not: we are now taught to fly drones not only in school (the basics of UAVs are included in the compulsory school course on life safety – the fundamentals of life safety), but also in all sorts of accelerated courses, including correspondence courses.

We tested for ourselves how and how much it costs to become a drone pilot.

An offer that fell into my inbox invites me to a ten-day training program for UAV operators… online! Plus, it’s free. What’s the catch? I’m calling.

– Do you really teach how to pilot drones?

– Which direction are you in – multi-rotor UAV operators or archangels?

– Sorry?

– Drone controllers are called archangels. They have a debriefing.

– Sorry?

– Well, these are the ones who check the flight permission, give the air corridor and monitor the flight.

– You are probably only recruiting pilots?

– Why? We don’t have any restrictions, only from 18, and then at least up to 100, if you still see.

– And women?

– Gender does not matter when piloting a drone. Moreover, everything is online and only 10 days.

– Why is it free?

– You register for the webinar and find out everything yourself.

After such discoveries, of course, it is difficult to resist enrolling in crash courses on drone rafts online. In the process, I understand that having registered, it is no longer possible to “register” from the system; it encloses me in the iron embrace of its artificial intelligence. Once you press the button, it is no longer possible to exit the game: before you receive any information, the system strangles you with Unified State Exam-style questionnaires on topics seemingly unrelated to aviation. For example, what is your greatest achievement in life? Possible answers: in work, in relationships, in finances, in social life, other. I was especially excited by the question “Do you have any questions for us?” And hints in 3 options: yes, no, I don’t know.

But those who show patience and go through this thorny path to the end will reveal the secret of free: “for free” only “introduction to piloting drones”, and then 25 thousand rubles for theory and 20 thousand for practice. A cadet’s flight book is available for an additional fee of 2 thousand rubles. “Dronoschools” of schools on the RuNet are no longer fewer than driving schools, and they teach even faster, a month maximum.

– What is a flight book? – I’m already calling another drone school.

– For a UAV pilot, this is his work book; your flight hours will be entered there.

– How can I get them if you teach remotely?!

– We only have theory remotely in webinar mode. And practice at airfields in the Moscow region.

– Why is theory 5 thousand more expensive than practice?

– Because theory is 10 days, and practice is 2 days. But with an overnight stay at the airfield, you will be launching drones from morning to evening.

– And it says that training is a month!

– Well, in total it turns out to be a month. Along with final exams, graduation and graduation.

Judging by the number of drone schools on the RuNet, since July 14 of this year they have trained so many “drone pilots” that it is useless to even guess who is launching them and from where in our vast expanses. But isn’t such accelerated learning a profanation? And is this even legal? I am seeking legal advice with state accreditation.

“Yes, everything is legal,” assures consultant Yulia Reznikova. – Although many, like you, are confused by the context in which we have been hearing about UAVs lately. In fact, it is an effective robotics technology used in many scientific, industrial and educational industries. And anyone, including children, can really fly an unmanned aerial vehicle weighing up to 150 grams. And for drones weighing from 150 g to 30 kg – anyone over 14 years old, and they do not require a certificate of qualification as a pilot or drone operator; it is needed when operating devices over 30 kg. Private UAVs, except for toy ones, must be registered and in a number of cases and locations it is necessary to obtain permission for flights, as well as for photo or video shooting, before each launch. These aspects of piloting are also taught in monthly courses, there is nothing strange about this, except that we are not yet used to them. We receive a category B driver’s license based on the results of passing exams on traffic rules theory and driving practice, and it is not forbidden to study either online or externally, the main thing is to confirm the acquired skills. Same with drones.